(Winnetka, IL) It's finally spring, and time for homeowners across the North Shore to welcome the change of seasons in their homes!

Along with putting pansies in the planters and tossing brighter pillows on the couch, Vivid Art Gallery in Winnetka recommends adding a colorful painting to the mix. "Many beautiful North Shore homes have empty walls just begging for a beautiful piece of art," says Cynthia Burr, the owner of the gallery. Vivid features a diverse group of artists whose work is on display at all times, so there is always a large choice of art available to shoppers.

Vivid's Featured Artist this month is Debra Delbecq, an Indiana-based artist who lives on a scenic working farm in a beautiful old red brick farmhouse. She paints what she sees out of her second floor studio window - broad fields of wheat and corn swaying in the wind. The artist likens the effect to wind blowing over water in terms of the interesting patterns and colors that result. Not surprisingly, Delbecq's paintings are full of movement, almost as if the fields are dancing. The changing seasons and weather patterns are her ongoing themes.

Rather than paint representational farm scenes, Delbecq paints abstract landscapes, capturing the feeling of the wind, weather, and fields as they interact. She fills large canvases with broad strokes of vibrant color, using an etching tool to carve the patterns of wind and soil into the paint. Says Delbecq, "I really aspire to be an agrarian painter, passionate about the collision of colors from the land interacting on my canvas in front of me." Her creative process is intertwined with her own sustainability - "while gathering my food I'm storing information for the content of my work. I hope to preserve in paint much for all to imagine themselves."

Delbecq's work is always on exhibit at the gallery, but an extended collection of paintings will be on display through March 31.

Vivid Art Gallery is located on the northeast corner of Green Bay and Tower Roads in Winnetka, in the area commonly referred to as "Hubbard Woods." The gallery hosts festive Art Openings the First Friday of each month from 5 - 8 pm.

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